Asian tigers will lead the way for tourism

China and India are set for phenomenal tourism growth in 2004 and beyond according to the WTTC, but countries like Montenegro, Angola and Guadeloupe will also develop as destinations. China is a destination that has long been touted by the WTTC as the ‘next big thing’. According to the WTTC tourism will grow 8.7% each year over the next decade creating nearly 9.5 million jobs by 2014, the greatest number of tourism-related jobs created in any country worldwide. According to WTTC executive vice president Richard Miller, much of China’s growth is down to capital investment, including the expansion of airports, building of hotels and improvement of infrastructure. Interval International managing director EMEA, David Clifton was present at the event. He agrees with the WTTC figures for China and told TravelMole: “The government in China is embracing tourism in the long term – over the next ten to 15 years and the country is set to be an un-paralleled force. It is taking a multi-pronged approach, embracing hotel expansion in all segments of the market and also the time-share industry- an area in which my company is involved.” He said China is now viewed by tourists as a safe place to go, something that was not the case three or four years ago. India will also be strong in the coming years according to the WTTC. It is set to post growth of 8.8% each year over the same period, creating 3.3 million jobs in the next decade. Referring to South, Southeast and Northeast Asia, Mr Miller said: “Those are the tigers for travel and tourism.” The US continues to be the largest contributor to tourism GDP, and will grow by around 7%, creating nearly three million jobs. But other smaller countries will also make their mark in 2004. Topping the list for growth in tourism and travel demand is Montenegro, set to grow 10.3% in 2004, creating 12,000 jobs. Vietnam, Angola, Laos, Chad, Guadeloupe, Fiji and Uganda were the others in the top ten, all set to post annualised growth of over 7% in the next decade. The forecast was revealed by Mr Miller at the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday using data gathered from 174 countries. He told the audience at the Stock Exchange: “After three devastating and dismal years, we have been through the worst of the perfect storm and 2004 looks particularly strong.” Report by Ginny McGrath